


Generations 06: The Ring

by Fier



Series: Generations [6]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Engagement, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Rings, Shopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:28:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25634323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fier/pseuds/Fier
Summary: Mulder takes his fiancé shopping for an engagement ring. They are not alone.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Series: Generations [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1857445
Kudos: 12





	Generations 06: The Ring

**Author's Note:**

> **Title** : Generations 6. The Ring  
>  **Author** : Macspooky  
>   
> Here is "The Ring." It should be read after "A Wonderful Day." Time for more Macspooky foolishness. Couldn't resist the temptation to continue the saga. I'll have to try something a little different in the near future if I can think of anything. Hope you enjoy. Again, thanks to CC, Fox and 1013 for lending me their characters. No infringement is intended. This is rated PG. Thanks to Gerri for net posting.

Fox Mulder was a happy man that morning. He still hadn't entirely gotten over everything that happened in New Mexico, and he still really hadn't come to grips with the death of his father, not entirely, but he was not going to think about that today. He and Dana had been so busy at work they hadn't had time to think straight. They finally had a day off together, and he was going to take her shopping for an engagement ring. He was determined she would have one, something nice, no matter what she said. He understood that she didn't want them gossiping at work. He was still going to see that she had a nice ring that would enable him to claim her in male territorial fashion as his own. He would take her to lunch, and maybe later, they would come back and he would spend some time showering her with kisses. Heaven only knew that was what he wanted to do, shower her with kisses, more than kisses. They just never seemed to have enough time.

He rang her doorbell, and when she answered, he swooped her into his arms.

"Hi, Shorts." He smiled. "Love me?"

"To death," she replied. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "You feel so good to hold."

"Not as good as you," he said. It was then that he noticed the playpen with the baby in it.

"What is that, Dana?" he asked.

"That is a baby. You know that is a baby. It's Dani."

"I know it's Dani, but what is she doing here?" he asked "Waiting to drool on you," replied Dana with a giggle.

"Come on, Dana, this was supposed to be our day. We were going to shop for an engagement ring. How come she's here?" he asked disappointed.

"Fox, her parents had a real emergency. Jen's grandmother is really sick, and there was no one else available to watch her. Chris had to work, and Jen had to go to the hospital."

"Great. Now we can't go out," he muttered with a pout.

"Yes we can. We'll take her with us." Dana sensed that he was really upset. She wasn't happy either. She'd been looking forward to spending the day with him, but it couldn't be helped.

"You want us to take a baby to look for an engagement ring?" he demanded, "Come on, Dana. That's ridiculous!"

"Why not? Give people something to talk about." She smiled. She reached up and touched his shoulder. "Fox, it's family. They would do the same for me. One day they may have to."

"Okay," he sighed, "but I'm not wearing that stupid harness thing. She stays in the stroller." He was feeling really put upon, but he was, he knew, something of a sucker for family, not really having any. He promised himself he would be understanding no matter what. Anyway, the baby was smiling up at him, waving her little arms and looking like Dana. How could you stay angry at that?

"It's a deal," said Dana packing the snugli in the stroller bag.

"Could you change her, sweetie, while I go get the bottles. She's just wet."

"Yeah, right. I'll bet," he muttered picking her up out of the playpen. "I know you're waiting to get your old Uncle Wolf," he said.

She gave him a big one toothed grin as he held her up and promptly spit up all over his shoe. He lay her on the couch, wiped his shoe with some nearby kleenex and removed her diaper. She was not just wet.

"Dana," he yelled. It was not an auspicious start. The baby had gotten rather bigger in just a few weeks. Bigger baby, more spit up.

Bigger baby, more other good stuff too.

"I'm coming," said Dana, "Oops." She grabbed the packet of wipes and started cleaning her up.

"You know it's scary how much she looks like you, Dana," he said.

"Say, you don't have triple rolls of fat like that on your thighs do you?"

"No way. Want to see?"

"Not right now," he said quickly. "She just wet your couch."

"Because you didn't lay her on the waterproof pad. Be glad she's a girl. If she were a he, you would have been right in the line of fire," Dana laughed.

They finally got organized, well about as organized as two nonparents could get. It was a beautiful day, and Fox found himself pushing the stroller up the street.

"Jeez," he muttered, "do they make these things for short people or what, Dana? This could break a man's back after awhile."

"Bitch, bitch, bitch," she replied. "I'll take over. Actually, I think they were designed for small women like me."

They arrived at the shop that Fox had chosen. It was a nice place, dealing in quality merchandise, expensive merchandise. If he was going to buy a diamond, it was going to be a good diamond, an investment. He had the money. The baby had fallen asleep, and he decided that maybe this wouldn't go too badly after all.

"Fox," she said looking around somewhat overwhelmed, "I don't..."

"Dana, you are getting a ring," he said. "That's it. Today you are not going to be stubborn. Take your time. Pick something you like, but you aren't going to argue."

She began to browse, and Dani woke up with a piercing scream startling everyone in the store. Dana ran to pick her up but she wouldn't hush. It wasn't time for her to eat. She simply didn't want to stop crying.

"Oh for heaven sake," said Fox taking her. "This isn't the time to be making a fuss little girl," he said, He thought it might be nice to be angry with her, but the moment he took her she stopped crying and started to coo at him. Dana's blue eyes looked up at him while her lips blew spit bubbles. "You are a very talented creature aren't you?" he asked her. While Dana browsed, he bent over one of the cases baby in arms, and spotted THE RING He whispered something to the salesclerk, who removed a tray from the case. If the clerk thought it odd that he was looking for an engagement ring with a baby in her arms, she kept it to herself, saving it for a coffee break with coworkers.

"Dana, I've found it," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "You needn't look anymore."

"Okay," she said, "let's see." She came over.

"Here, this is the one. Isn't it beautiful?" he asked her with his best little boy look.

"In my worst nightmare," thought Dana. What lay before her was a cluster of diamonds so gaudy as to look fake. Dana didn't like diamonds much to begin with. One small one would have been more than enough for her. These stones were set in white gold, which she didn't care for either. Dana pictured herself at 60 years old, weighing 250 pounds, with teased gray hair and a ratty fur coat, flashing this ring around on chubby hands with fingernails painted dark red. She pictured triple rolls of fat on her thighs like Dani's while she waved the ring in the air. "Oh my God," she thought. "People don't really buy jewelry like this." She looked at him. He looked so enthusiastic, too enthusiastic..

"This is too expensive, Fox," she softly in the hope that logic would convince him that it really wasn't the ring to buy. It was really a stupid thought. Logic had never convinced Fox Mulder of anything. She should have known better. "We don't have this kind of money to spend. I thought, you know, something small, not too expensive, something Adele Wockerman wouldn't recognize as an engagement ring..."

"But I can afford it, and it's beautiful," he said "I want you to have this ring. It means a lot to me Dana. It really does."

She looked at him. Beautiful hazel eyes gazed into hers, and his face had the enthusiasm of an excited 12 year old. Dani rested on his shoulder dribbling and cooing. He was so good with her. "God," she thought, "can I go through life wearing a ring that's worse than Mulder's most hideous tie?" Looking at him holding the baby, something he shouldn't have had to be doing on this day, she decided that she could. She swallowed, hoping that her straight faced act was truly perfected.

"Alright, Fox." she said quietly, fighting to keep her voice from cracking, "That's the one then. It's beautiful"

She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. That was the moment that Dani decided to let out a horrible baby noise, and Mulder decided that he would never ever go to visit Dana again without bringing an extra shirt or six. Just a minute before, the shirt had been nice and clean and white and had smelled fresh. Now is was brown and white, and the scent had changed distinctly.

"Jeez," he muttered. "We've put a man on the moon. Can't they make a damn diaper that doesn't leak? Since this was your idea Dana, take her somewhere and change her."

"Yes ,Sir," she saluted. The man didn't look happy. It might be worth wearing that awful ring for the memory of the look on his face, she decided with a grin. The clerk looked at him with disapproval for his remark about the baby having been Dana's idea.

"You have something to say?" he growled at the young woman.

"Uh no, Sir," she repled meekly, "Nothing Sir."

They decided to stop at an outdoor cafe for some cappucino because, as Fox told her, " If I don't get some caffeine, I am liable to freak from withdrawal symptoms." Dana had seen him freaking. It was not a pretty sight. She'd born the verbal abuse of Mulder freaking. It had hurt terribly. It was best to keep him caffeinated if that's what he wanted. The moment the wheels stopped turning on the stroller, of course, Dani started to fuss. It was boring sitting in one spot. Naturally, with a handsome man around, she wanted nothing to do with her Aunt Dana, so Fox found himself holding her on his lap while she blew bubbles and tried to gnaw on his fingers. He attempted to ignor comments from people who stopped to smile and tell him what a pretty baby he had. It didn't work. People expected a response. It usually came in the form of a growl.

'Uh oh," said Dana who was used to him. "Here comes trouble."

Who should be walking up the sidewalk but Adele Wockerman, number one gossip of the FBI. There was very little that Adele didn't know or didn't think she knew. She detested Fox Mulder with a passion and couldn't understand why a cute little thing like Dana Scully would work with him.

"Well, well, if it isn't Spooky and Spookette...and company," said the woman.

"Hi, Adele," they both replied, nonplussed.

"What a pretty baby. She looks just like you Dana." purred the woman, "And here all along we thought you'd been abducted by aliens."

"She's my niece, Adele," said Dana ,counting silently to ten while meowing to herself. "I'm just baby sitting her today."

"Well, Mulder, you look good with a baby. Maybe you should get married and have some."

"Now who would marry me, Adele?"

"You never know until you ask, Mulder.."

"Okay," he said. At that point, Mulder, the brilliant psychologist, made a very big mistake. He picked up baby Dana and held her over his face. " Will you marry me, little Dana?" he asked, but before he could quite close his mouth, her breakfast came up all over him.

"And some people never learn," laughed Dana.

"I guess she's got good taste ,Mulder," sneered Adele. "Bye you two, have fun." Oh boy, was this going to make a good story around the office! A baby that looked just like Dana throwing up all over Spooky Mulder in a public place. It didn't get much better than that.

Dana wiped his face and gave him a glass of water. "Dense, Mulder" she said. "Sometimes you are truly dense."

"It's not funny," he muttered.

"It could be worse," she said softly. "I could have done the same thing when you proposed."

"Thanks, sweetness," he said, but he smiled at her.

Dani wouldn't fall asleep anywhere but on his chest, his bare chest, because he threatened Dana with death if she didn't wash his shirt He cradled the baby with his arm so that she couldn't fall off of him and drifted off to sleep himself on Dana's couch thinking he must be crazy. Why was he doing this? This kid wasn't even related to him. Why couldn't she like her aunt or something? Why did he have to be her favorite almost relative? He must have done something in a past life to really piss somebody off.

"I don't know if I like this," he heard a voice say. He wasn't fully awake, but someone was trying to take the baby, and he held on to her tightly thinking the worst was happening. No one was going to take the baby, not like they had taken Sam.

"Oh hi, Chris," he muttered, finally coming to. "Must have dozed off."

"Right. I come in and find my little girl sleeping on top of you. I'm not sure I care for this. Now my sister, that's another story. It's probably time she slept on top of you." Blue eyes laughed at him mischievously..".Bet your shirt is in the wash."

"How do you know?"

"Cause she's my little girl, and I know all her tricks," he chuckled. "Thanks for watching her guys. I really had to work today."

"That's okay, Chris. We had nothing else to do today." Dana jabbed Mulder in the ribs.

"Right. Nothing," he said. "She's a pleasure to have around."

"Liar," he laughed. He collected all the baby equipment, and with Mulder's help, headed for the door. Mulder didn't quite believe how much equipment one baby seemed to require.

Fox picked up the ring and headed for the restaurant where he had told Dana to meet him whistling a tune. It had taken a little longer to get it than he had anticipated, but now he had it, and it soon would be hers to wear. Dana was standing out front of Antonio's with something in her hand. It was too big to be a purse.

"Oh no..." he thought. "Oh, God, no. Oh yes...it was one of THOSE seats...the kinds people put babies into. If she had a baby seat in her hand, that meant there was a baby in it, and he knew what baby it had to be. THE SPITTER. THE DROOLER etc. etc. THE ONE WHO LOVED HIM."

"Hi, Sweetheart," she smiled seeing him. She looked a little sheepish as she reached up to kiss him. "Uh, Jen's Grandma died, and she kind of needed someone to watch Dani."

"Right," he said with resignation. "Okay."

He swore that the child was looking at him with THAT light in her eyes already and that the number of spit bubbles was increasing proportionately with each second that went by.

Antonio was shocked to see Special Agent Mulder walk into his restaurant with the tiny redhead. He'd brought women here in the past, always tall busty brunettes. This one was truly different, and Antonio knew immediately, special. He could tell by the way Agent Mulder walked with her. And she had a baby with her. This was interesting.

"Hello, Tony," he said. 'You have a quiet booth for us in the back."

"For you, Agent Mulder, anything," smiled the man. "Such a pretty baby. I'm very partial to redheads you know."

"You should be, Tony," he laughed. "This is Dana Scully and her niece Dani."

They were seated at a booth. Fox ordered a bottle of white wine and asked Tony to bring some bread.

"How are your beautiful daughter's?" he asked when Tony had done so.

"Lovely as ever, Mr. Mulder. I wish they still made chastity belts."

"Well, if I ever leave the FBI, I might go into business, and you can be my best customer."

The two men laughed. Dana glared.

"Please tell me you have your pasta scampi tonight."

"Of course."

"Then that is what we'll have."

"We'll prepare it fresh just for you."

Dana broke out a jar of baby food and a spoon. "Maybe," she said, "I don't want pasta scampi. Maybe I want something else." She was really annoyed.

"Well, you'll have to trust me on this like you did on the ring," he said.

"I'm going to die of starvation," she thought. "That's different," is what she said. "I don't have to eat the ring." She scraped cereal into Dani's mouth. "And that remark about the chastity belts..."

"Hey, he's a dad. He's just trying to protect his girls from guys like me," he said.

"Well, maybe they don't want to be protected."

"Bitch, bitch, bitch." he laughed. "Lighten up will you. Tony has a lovely redheaded wife, and he adores his kids. One of them was kidnapped a few years ago. I got her back."

"Well, I don't think the idea of keeping women in bondage is funny at all."

"Oh, you mean I can't tie you to the bed...aw shucks."

In spite of herself she smiled. She shoved another spoonful of cereal into the baby's mouth. At that moment Dani decided that making oatmeal banana spit raspberries would be fun. Mulder did not duck in time.

"She's telling you what she thinks of your chastity belt,."

laughed Dana wiping his face.

She went into a fit of giggling that she couldn't contain.

"That's it Dani. You keep it up. We'll show your Uncle Wolf who's the boss."

"This must be love," he muttered. "Either that, or I'm the worlds biggest schmuck. Yeah, that's it. I'm the world's biggest schmuck."

The dinner came, and Dana had to admit that it was delicious.

She hated to, but she had to. A string of spaghetti dangled from her mouth, and he scooped it up with his mouth, sucking it in until his lips touched hers.

"See." He smiled. "Just like Lady and the Tramp. I think she was a redhead too."

"Most cocker spaniels are," replied Dana with a grin. "You do kind of have those Tramp eyes, Mulder."

"Well, the old Tramp must have done something right, because at the end of the movie there was a litter of puppies, and they mostly looked like him," he waggled his eyebrows.

"This lady doesn't do litters." She smiled. "Now one at a time..." she brought her lips to his. "I would consider one at a time."

"Not right this minute., he chuckled nuzzling her. He reached into his pocket. "The ring was ready," he said.

"Oh...how wonderful," she said mustering a smile. "Be brave Dana," she thought. "Remember you love this man."

He gave her the box. "It's beautiful. Open it."

With a great deal of trepidation, she did and blinked, unable to believe her eyes. Inside there was a tiny diamond set in yellow gold with a small emerald on either side, and beside it was the most beautiful wedding ring she had ever seen with Celtic symbols and emerald chips.

"Oh, God, Fox, it's gorgeous," she whispered. "I've never seen anything so beautiful."

"I have," he replied quietly. "You." He took the ring from the box and slipped it on her finger. He was about to kiss her, one of those really deep passionate kisses that he seldom seemed to have the time to give her, when Dani let out a shriek and spit her dinner across the table and right in his face.

"A mega schmuck," he announced as Dana giggled and wiped his face yet again. "A real mega schmuck."

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, Okay, so the spitting baby bit is getting old. I promise I won't do it again unless someone wants me to. I'll have to think of another irritant to interfere with Mulder's romantic non love life.


End file.
